In the week since former President Donald Trump was re-elected to a second term, the already wide partisan divide has only appeared to widen as the president-elect’s supporters celebrate a clear victory and demoralized Democrats wonder where it all went wrong.

The only consistent responses on either side of the aisle were the emotions going on high.

Passionate responses to political change are normal, justifiable, and even occasionally necessary given the unprecedented nature of this election. And yet, letting these emotions justify hateful ideologies is not only harmful, it’s counterproductive to what the nation needs right now.

Since the election, acts of online hate speech have skyrocketed. Black people across the country received racist messages from unknown numbers telling them they had been “picked to pick cotton from the nearest plantation,” according to the data. CNN. Although the origins of the messages have yet to be identified, many have linked them to Trump’s victory.

“The unfortunate reality of electing a president who has historically embraced and sometimes encouraged hatred is unfolding before our eyes,” NAACP CEO. Derrick Johnson said. “These messages represent an alarming increase in hateful and hateful rhetoric from racist groups across the country, who now feel emboldened to spread hatred and fan the flames of fear many of us feel after Tuesday’s election results.”

This week has also garnered a flurry of misogynistic social media posts from Trump supporters, who, emboldened by the former president’s triumph, have made claims at women’s bodies online with sayings like “your body my choice,” according to MSNBC.

These ideologies of hate, directly POWERED according to Trump’s rhetoric, they are appalling, ill-conceived and, above all, dangerous. Perpetuating these harmful beliefs in everyday interactions adds fervor to a growing push for legislation that could curtail the rights, protections, and freedoms of women, people of color, and other minorities.

When the rights and privileges of so many people are threatened by supporters of the next president, responses of fear and anger are warranted — but that doesn’t mean those feelings should become tangential forms of hate.

Respect and responsibility are two-way streets. As the aftermath of the election and widespread polarization become increasingly intertwined with ideologies of hate, it’s important to channel anger into productivity. The progressive way forward is to strategize when to lean toward catalyzing change with feelings of anger and when to follow the proverbial road.

Bowing to vitriol equal to that of bigots only further polarizes people and creates radical far-right smears.

Don’t let the flames of post-election rage die down, but make sure they don’t turn into something more insidious. It’s important—now more than ever—that we channel anger into action that promotes progressive change, rather than using it to stifle discourse, further polarize, and vilify those who seem to disagree.

The Phoenix editorial board consists of Griffin Krueger, Catherine Meyer, Lilli Malone, Hailey Gates, Brendan Parr and Andi Revesz.